Sean Hill did not play in last weekend's games between Minn and Wisconsin on a
 last minute decision by Wis coach Jeff Sauer. During the intermissions of the
 game Friday night, broadcaster Frank Mazzoco interviewed both Sauer and WCHA
 Commissioner Otto Breitenbach. I took notes from the interviews and this is
 what follows:
 
 Jeff Sauer said he decided at the last minute to have Sean Hill sit out the
 suspension this weekend. He also said that he has known Mike Aikens since he
 was 6 years old and that Aikens was his stick-boy at Colorado College and that
 he was as upset as anyone to hear that his injury was as serious as it was.
 But Sauer also said that he "thinks that there is also another side to the
 story from the standpoint of our player and what transpired and the lack of
 the officials' call and so forth. There are other things that have to be
 noted, but I don't want to carry it on--we gotta get back to work. We'll
 accept the suspension." Sauer also mentioned that Hill did not accept the
 suspension very well and the entire team was upset also.
 
 Otto Breitenbach was asked how the WCHA arrived at their decision of a two
 game suspension. He said the case had been reviewed and "the foul that was
 committed with injury, by the book, should have been a major with a DQ. The
 official was screened off from it and was not able to make that call and we
 felt that with reconsideration, because of the seriousness of the situation,
 that that DQ should be assigned at a later date and we do have, by rule that
 prerogative to do so."
 
 Breitenbach was also asked if the league was trying to make a "statement" here
 also. He said: "In fairness to everybody involved, we want the game to be what
 it should be. We want college hockey to be a skating, passing game, a thing
 that people can enjoy watching." He added "We hope that we can enforce what
 should be enforced and then put it behind us. I know people are not trying to
 do things wrong, but we do have to enforce the rules."
 
 Passages in quotation marks ARE exact quotes. I hope this clears the air about
 this incident.
 
 Carol White
 U of M
 GO Gophers!!!